Cosy and practical bedroom lighting ideas
We spend more time in bed than we do in any other one spot – and over 1/3 of our lives are spent in our bedrooms. So we think it's essential to make sure your bedroom is in the best possible shape, with the lighting carefully thought through so that you can set your preferred mood. The bedroom is a sanctuary, but it’s also a practical room that needs to be bright enough for reading at night and getting dressed and ready for the day in the morning – near darkness is no friend of the morning eyeliner challenge! To help, we’re offering up a checklist of lighting hot-spots in the bedroom to help you create space that is restful and functional.
Pooky Bobboli Console Table Lamp in Blue £100, Empire Shade in Yellow Silk Ikat £72
Bedside lighting
Consider the size of your bedside table – is it small and low? Then go for a tall lamp with a slender base that will cast light over your book while being generous enough to leave space on your table for a glass of water and your bookmark. Think too about the shade and choose something lighter or semi-sheer that will provide a soft, diffuse light, rather than a heavier block colour shade. Position one on each side of the bed whether this room is for one or two people – symmetry looks more designed and deliberate.
Dressing tables
The dressing table is a relationship saver if you’re the first one up in the morning and your other half values their extra ten minutes in bed. The dressing table light lets you get dressed and ready to tackle your day without having to illuminate the whole room – and anyone who’s sleeping there – with a full electric sunrise. Much like the bed, we’d advise lighting the dressing table on both sides with a pair of lamps - pairs always look fabulous and you'll get a far better light for any mirror work.
Sideboards and chests
Purely about mood and decoration, when you want the bedroom to be cast in a subtle warm light for atmosphere, this is the lamp you’ll be reaching for. Chests of drawers often find themselves in an alcove or corner of the bedroom and positioning a lamp here can also help to turn that empty space from a black hole into a cosy pool of light.
Floorshow Lighting should provide a calming, relaxed atmosphere in the bedroom and, similar to a lamp on a chest of drawers, the bedroom standard lamp is about doing just that. Floor-standing lamps will allow you to send light towards the ceiling which will then reflect it back and they can also be good if space is tight. Use as well as, or instead of, a chest-top lamp, to suit your size of room.
